Warriors: Crow's Carrion

Chapter Thirteen

     Ospreypaw yawned and stretched, wincing at the stiffness in their muscles. For the past several nights, they'd dreamed themself back to the training grounds, where Teacher had appeared for their training sessions. In those nights, she'd revealed that she'd been watching over Ospreypaw for several moons, and that she was the owner of the voice they heard every so often.

     Despite the night-long training, Ospreypaw felt as if they'd never been sick in the first place—even so, Riverflower insisted they stayed in her den for extra monitoring. Today, she sat only a few tail-lengths away from them and watched them closely, her amber eyes burning into their pelt.

     "Have you been sneaking out to train with Darkshadow?" she asked, hardly waiting for Ospreypaw to shake off their sleep.

     "What? No," Ospreypaw said. They blinked at the healer in surprise—where was this coming from?

     "I've noticed your lack of energy recently," Riverflower said. "And I can see the faces you make when you stretch—you're obviously sore. I thought maybe the sickness was at blame. I know it can cause fatigue and the like, but you're almost clear of your symptoms now."

     "Well, I've been resting here every night," Ospreypaw muttered and shot her a look. "I can't say it's been a good rest, though. I'm pretty sure there's a draft letting the cold air in at night."

     ". . . it has gotten cold recently, hasn't it?" Riverflower said, suddenly looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, Osprey. I shouldn't have suggested that you'd do that. If you're free of symptoms tomorrow, you're welcome to return to your training."

     Though they wanted to thank her, Ospreypaw kept quiet. They watched Riverflower as she stood and retreated to her herb store. The blue-grey molly hissed to herself as she pulled out old, rotten herbs and tossed them onto the ground away from the storage shelves.

     "You know, I've been thinking of taking on an apprentice for a while," Riverflower said as she emerged once again. She leaned down to carefully inspect the discarded herbs. "I've been old enough to train someone for seasons now, but I haven't received any kind of sign."

     She glanced up and met Ospreypaw's gaze, who just stared back—curiously, now. It wasn't uncommon for Riverflower to share these thoughts with them, but they always thought it would be better to go to Ripplestar about it instead. Surely the opinion of one sickly apprentice wouldn't weigh much on a decision like this.

     "Actually, I noticed that one of the apprentices has an affinity for what healers do," Riverflower continued when Ospreypaw said nothing. "I can't be sure yet, though. I wish StarClan would offer some kind of advice."

     At that, Ospreypaw perked up. She noticed Splashpaw! they thought excitedly. Ever since he revealed his desire to work under Riverflower, Ospreypaw tried their best to hint at the idea, but they had felt certain she never picked up on it. At last it would pay off—soon, Riverflower would make her decision and extend the offer to Splashpaw.

     "So," Ospreypaw said when an awkward silence fell over them, "can I go back to the apprentices' den, now that you see I'm better?"

     "Don't push it," Riverflower snapped, though a glimmer of amusement in her eyes betrayed her. "You can spend more time with the other apprentices today, if you want, but I'd like you to stay here for another night."

     Offering a quick mew of gratitude to Riverflower, Ospreypaw raced out of the den before she could change her mind. Once in the clearing, they realized that Crabpaw and Currentpaw were nowhere to be seen; neither were their mentors, Daceclaw and Runningblaze, and several other warriors. Deciding that they'd be on a sunhigh patrol right about now, or perhaps they'd be taking breaks at the Sunstone Pond, Ospreypaw caught sight of Splashpaw and made a beeline toward him.